The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, July 29, 1918, Page 10

HESE are days of victory for the National Nonpartisan league; days proving the truth of the statement that right will con- quer in the long run. ‘In Ne- braska, as Leaguers know, there has been a persistent attempt to prevent the farmers from organizing. The metropolitan - press and the small papers that clip their news ; from it, have announced that the League has agreed- % to withdraw from the state. g THAT IS NOT TRUE. As a matter of fact, the / Nebraska State Council of Defense has approved . the League’s organizing in the state. All inter- | “ference with farmers’ meetings will be stopped. ¢ This was agreed to July 6 in Lincoln. The happy outcome was brought about after the © League had brought suit to . enjoin the state defense coun- cil from ployes under a distorted in- terpretation of the work or fight order. By this misappli- cation of the law organization . ~work in Nebraska would have t . been stopped. . | 'NO QUARREL NOW 7 WITH THE LEAGUE While the case was-in court t'news came of the decision of *. the supreme court of Minne- i sota declaring that President ' A. C. Townley had not inter- i fered with the conduct of the {2~war, and that the League i7-pamphlets were not seditious. - [ % This was a bombshell to the { . opposition that made them ready to compromise. The result was a sweeping victory for the Nonpartisans. In addition, as the Lincoln ‘Herald said, “The trial was a . 7great booster for the League “and its cause. The evidence ‘brought out in the trial put ' the League and its principles . 8quarely before the people and ;made many. friends for the : .League and the principles it ;=18 striving to have enacted . into: law.”" 5 7 James Manahan, ‘attorney | i for the League, and Richard { 7. L. Metcalfe, chairman of the ' {"Nebraska State Council of .1 Défense, were the principal i ‘characters in the trial. To- i -~gether they reached an agree- - ment in which Mr. Metcalfe " said: “The state council has - nothing to do with economics. /- So far as your economic prin- it 'ciples are concerned—some of . which I am in sympathy with .and some I am not—but the uncil of defense has nothing . *~to do with that. A person has .wthe right to preach economics ‘as he wants to.” ;7 Mr. Metcalfe then advised the League to with- raw League workers who had come from other -states. He also suggested that the League com- ,Pletely withdraw the pamphlet on war aims which 7 had just received the O. K. of the Minnesota su- -preme court. This was easily consented:to, since he principles enunciated in this pamphlet had been f war aims, advocacy of government insurance for oldiers, his stand for the heavy taxation of wealth een’circulated for six months. It had'long been upplanted by a booklet giving the war speeches of President Wilson. “Then,” said Mr. Metealfe, “you hould withdraw your leaflet on ‘The New Freedom’ mtil after this war, because it creates a wrong impression,” The attorney for the League then sked this question: “Now, if the League organi- tion would aeccept that suggestion, would the ouncil of defense the holding of meetin The allies are cheering on the farmers of America. True to his trust, every ounce of energy and patriotism into swelling the food supply. a bumper crop, carried: out by President Wilson in his statement ° o pay for the war; etc., and the pamphlet had not =~ ithdraw or cease opposition | uch as the local men A | a e e 0 h /A Great League Victory in Nebraska | Organization of the Farmers Will Go On—State Defense Council Reaches - a Fair Agreement With the Attorney for the Nonpartisans might see fit or might have, where they are or- ganized, and permit them to meet the same as Republicans, Socialists or Democrats or any other organization?” This threw the opposition lawyer into a panie, but Mr. Metcalfe answered fairly that he .did not question the-right of the farmers to meet. All together, the understanding -reached in Ne- braska clears the air and ends all misunderstand- ings. It is beginning to be generally seen that the attacks on the League in Minnesota were with- out any honest basis but were merely political dodges. These have been red-letter days for the Non- partisan league in Nebraska. The happy outcome of the legal proceedings instituted by the League to secure its constitutional and political rights, the holding of the precinct, district and state con- ‘ interfering with | { A BUMPER CROP ' League meetings and discrim- inating against League em- = because it is going to bump the kaiser off the face ‘Townley in Montana HE Nonpartisan campaign in-Mon= T tana is on in full blast, with every prospect. of victory. - Just before the primaries, President A. C. Townley will return to the state and speak to the Tarmers and workingmen. . The two dates that have been set for these meetings are-August 12, in Fergus county, and in Butte, _August 13. - _ OntoVictory! ‘the producer has put ~ gram of support on. - . Farmers were urged to continue their efforts to . with the farmers. in eli “recall 5. .oceupations, - ~that all' waste may be el § . & M. ventions, and. the consideration being given the possible action of the League by the politicians of the state affecting the primaries soon to be held throughout the- state for the nomination of can- didates for the November elections, have .served’ to put the Nonpartisan league on the map -in’thig state and has thrown a scare into the Big ‘Biz: politicians and special interests which seek to econ- - trol legislation and the political machinery of -the - state. : T N Profiteers and the politicians do not .want the ° Nonpartisan league in. Nebraska, and have been making the same kind of a disreputable fight N against it in this state that they have in other states where the League is organizing. . Testimony was introduced _directly connecting : the state council of defense, through one of its R members, with breaking up League meetings in T Saunders county and chasing e the speakers out of town with mob violence. Official letters and printed newspaper notices were exhibited forbidding the | farmers from holding precinct .- caucuses and county conven- " i tions, by order of the county 3 council of ?élefense, and citing < the governor of the state and the state council of defense as their authority for this un- constitutional and un-American action. Stay-at-home guards ' - patrolled the county to pre- vent the caucuses, and when 4 an attorney went up to collect < evidence in the case, he was ° thrown into jail. Such-high- G, handed outrages could hardly ) be pulled off in darkest Russia, but they happened in Saun- ders county, Neb., and the council of defense nor any other officials have seen fit to uphold the law which they are sworn to enforce. THE NEBRASKA : PLATFORM : _ G But that the state council of defense is sincere in its prom- ises to the organized farm- - ers was further indicated at the state convention of the League held in Lincoln a few days later. There Mr. Met- g calfe of the defense council . ! appeared and addressed the Nonpartisans. The mayor of Lincoln also welcomed the farmers and in- dorsed = considerable - of the League platform. - The decision was reached that the farmers would not go into the state campaign this year, but would center their efforts on electing a solid ‘block of Nonpartisans ‘to the legislature in the coun- ties in which it is best or- ganized. : s The resolutions open with the declaration that the win- ning of the war is of para- mount importance, and a tele- - was sent to President Wilson. P It is truly called of the earth. increase food “production, and to support the Red -~ Cross and all other war activities. The political planks follow: st e 1. Agriculture i3 the greatest industry of the state of Nebraska and only 88 out of 100 members of the lower house in the last legislature were farmers,” while in the senate the S S s o s et Tk ey o0y Drees the ferme ers to orzan! e en al ma; D " Yepresented in the legislative body. ey i ; propo 2. Condemns. profiteering. and invites citizens to co-operate = - - 2 it g minatinc.. g, this by securing represen- e ‘8. Btands for state ownership of waterpower rvesources, - . 4. Urges a more workable “initiative and 'referendum’ and 1 for public officials, - a1 ; SR . Asks for development of the educational system o state, especially for the encouragement of rural bor~in the 8. Urges shorter hours: of | lal : . Favors elixifinat,ion‘ 8. Favors government and ~telegraph - lines 'and " al